By Mariatou Ngum
The Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, Hon. Baboucarr Ousmaila Joof, led by his Senegalese counterpart Dr. Serigne Gueye Diop, minister of Commerce and Industry, visited Diamniadio and Sandiara industrial sites in Senegal.
At Diamniadio Industrial Zone, Minister Joof and delegation visited Aprosi Diamniadio Industrial Estate; Apix Office; Galion Senegal Company - producing plastic pot, packaging 56 thousand pieces per day; Sodipharm; Sam UK Senegal Sarl; Baobab SSHU Cardboard Manufacturing Plant; and IBS Beverage Industries of Senegal, bottler of Coca Cola.
At Sandiara, the team, accompanied by Minister Diop and staff visited Ocedis Plastic Packaging Manufacturer; Hercules Lubricant, an engine oil company owned by Indians; and Hercules Recycling of lead and aluminum into ingots; Tire recycling which produces fuel, carbon and iron; Solance Industries, all types of automotive and solar batteries; Gravita Senegal, a factory that specialises in aluminum alloy recovered from tin cans or beverage cans.
Speaking to the press at the end of the tour, Minister Joof commended his Senegalese counterpart for giving him the opportunity to visit the Industrial Zones in Diamniadio and Sandiara, at the time when Presidents Faye and Barrow met and found it necessary that the two ministers come together to look at the barriers affecting trade between the two countries. According to him, if African integration is going to actually happen, it has to start from Senegal and The Gambia.
The Trade minister said during his tour of the sites, he was exposed to two specific models. Noting the significance of the visit, Joof said this coincides with a moment his ministry is working towards setting up special economic and industrial zones that go along with Agro Poles to encourage agro processing.
He disclosed that they have determined at ministry level that for trade to benefit The Gambia, they must ensure that their industrialisation strategy works. “We must encourage production and productivity, and value addition. This is when we will be able to boost our export and work on the current trade deficit that we have,” he stated.
For his part, Dr. Serigne Gueye Diop, minister of Industry and Commerce of Senegal, the delegation’s visit allows them to discuss commercial challenges and opportunities, share their experiences in industrial development, as well as create an avenue for collaboration.
Dr. Diop revealed that in Sandiara, they have about 5000 employees - 2000 employees in the factories and over 3000 in the farms. This, he said is meant to discourage the youths from taking to irregular emigration.
